Fayetteville City Council is deliberating Monday evening at city hall whether to continue its contract with SoundThinking — the company providing the gunshot detection technology also known as ShotSpotter.
Back in March, Durham ended its own ShotSpotter contract because of questions raised about whether it reduces gun violence. Supporters in Fayetteville said they’re encouraged by some recent drops in crime. However, critics say they still have their doubts.
Cynthia Leeks has been against having gun detection technology from SoundThinking in her neighborhood during the past year. Leeks said she and other neighbors worry that a police response to unconfirmed ShotSpotter alerts could put innocent people at risk, particularly those who have criminal backgrounds.
“They don’t carry weapons, but they may be a felon, they may be drug users or any kind of thing like that,” Leeks said. “And a shot is fired, here comes the police and who are they going to take down?”
She also said people living in her community aren’t getting information on whether it’s working.